For Krystal Ellis of Cartersville, obtaining scholarships from the Georgia Highlands College Foundation helped her to move forward with her education and to graduate with a Bachelor’s of Business in Logistics and Supply Chain Management in spring 2021.

“I grew up in a financially disadvantaged household and am my family’s first high school graduate and will be the first college graduate,” Ellis said. “While this has not been an easy path, the availability of scholarships and financial aid has been a significant aid to my educational career.”

With some of the financial burden lessened, Ellis was able to work fewer hours outside of class.

“This financial assistance allowed me to focus on my studies and complete my degree without fear of loan repayment,” Ellis said. “The scholarships offered allowed me to finish my degree at highlands and gave me a job I love, and I will be forever grateful for the donors.”

Ellis has received the GHC Foundation Seniors Pursing Graduation Scholarship as well as multiple awards of the GHC Foundation Juniors Pursing Graduation Scholarship and University System of Georgia Foundation Go Back, Move Ahead scholarship.

She recently accepted a position with Home Depot Corporation as an analyst in the Services Operations division. In addition, Ellis serves as a member of the company’s collaboration department.

The Georgia Highlands College Foundation has been committed to supporting the college since 1973. The Foundation is driven to enhance education, to create opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to succeed, and to expand the horizons of GHC.

In addition, the GHC Foundation contributes over half a million dollars to scholarships and programs each year. The scholarship criteria vary greatly and may be based on age, program of study, county of residence, and many other factors.

In order to apply for scholarships at Georgia Highlands College, students need to be admitted at GHC through the Admissions Office for the current term and have a complete FAFSA on file naming GHC as an institution of choice. All visitors are welcome – including prospective students, parents, and friends – to search scholarship opportunities through the site highlands.edu/scholarships for informational purposes.

Kevin Morang has been working in criminal justice for a number of years. He served as a police officer for the Rome Police Department from 2005 to 2016. And now, he works for the Georgia Public Safety Training Center (GPSTC) and teaches courses for the Georgia Highlands College-based Georgia Police Academy.

Morang said when it came to opening up more opportunities for his career, he looked no further than GHC’s criminal justice program in the School of Social Sciences and Education. 

“The main reason I enrolled in GHC’s criminal justice program was for more opportunities,” Morang said. “Several years ago, when I began my career in law enforcement, I thought I would start my career at a local agency, like in Rome, and then move on to the state level or federal level. But [I knew] getting a degree would help me advance in my career.”

Morang earned his associate in criminal justice at GHC in 2005, and he is now pursing his bachelor’s in criminal justice at GHC, as well.

GHC’s criminal justice program is led by professors Randy Green and Greg Sumner, who have more than 50 years combined experience in policing and teaching with a real-world perspective of the field.

“We are able to share our prior experience working in law enforcement to help students see a more detailed picture of what their career will look like and how their degree will help them personally and professionally,” Sumner said. “We don’t want our students to just understand the theoretical and public policy aspects of criminal justice, we want them to see how it is applied in reality.”

Sumner’s experience learning from members of law enforcement during his time as a student helped shape the way he engages with his students.

“When I was earning my degree in criminal justice, I had instructors that had worked in the field,” Sumner said. “They lived it and breathed it, and that is what drew myself and Randy to wanting to give back and help others to build the skills necessary for a career in law enforcement.”

Morang said he appreciated how Sumner and Green utilized their experience in law enforcement. He added that student engagement in the program is a unique experience since students have a range of interests and backgrounds, from those interested in law enforcement to those who are planning to one day go to law school.

After completing the associate in criminal justice, which is taught both in-person and online, students are encouraged to complete the Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice. The bachelor’s program is offered online through USG eMajor. The program is taught through 8-week courses entirely online and is a collaborative degree with Dalton State College and Georgia Southwestern State University.  An eMajor degree is designed specifically for non-traditional students and includes several benefits and student success resources in addition to those already available through GHC.

For current members of law enforcement, both the associate degree and the bachelor’s degree provide credit for prior learning (CPL). Credit for prior learning can include courses completed through the Georgia Police Academy, which offers training on the GHC Floyd campus.

Click here to learn more about the criminal justice program at GHC. 

Georgia Highlands College (GHC) recently hosted 35 educators from the Paulding County School District to engage in a Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) professional development workshop.

The event, held at GHC’s Cartersville site, featured liquid nitrogen demonstrations, chemical reactions and chemistry experiments, DNA activities and demonstrations, bacteria and medical microbiology, concepts on electricity, demonstrations from the health sciences faculty and demonstrations from GHC’s new Building Information Modeling degree and FinTech degrees.

“Because the group of educators in attendance teach across various grade levels, we wanted them to be able to visit the activities they most wanted to learn about,” Interim Dean for GHC’s School of STEM Jason Christian said.

Georgia Highlands College and Paulding County School District have worked together for years to bring visibility to STEM through initiatives such as STEM clubs, STEM family nights and classroom activities.

District STEM Coordinator Sarah Graham said the event made a positive impact on participants and helped show how GHC can provide support to STEM educators.

“GHC professors provided the teachers with hands-on experiences, demonstrating what they could expect from a partnership in the coming year,” Graham said. “Our teachers left ready to collaborate with GHC on their upcoming STEM initiatives.”

Throughout each year, the School of STEM offers professional development opportunities to all K-12 districts in the region, support and participation in STEM related activities and outreach as well as consulting for STEM certification and/or grant writing.

Georgia Highlands College’s class of 2020 endured the effects of a pandemic as they successfully navigated a path to graduation last year. To further emphasize their success and to finally hold an in-person event after their virtual 2020 graduation, GHC held a special celebration on the Cartersville site recently.

The event, which included cap and gown photos, a selfie station and refreshments, allowed graduates like Joseph Cheriyampurathu, of Rome, to catch up with some familiar faces.

“Although I graduated last year, I wanted to come out and see how my former classmates are doing,” Cheriyampurathu said.

Attending classes at GHC’s Rome site, Cheriyampurathu graduated from GHC with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Healthcare Management. In December 2020, he began working as the Region 1 Transportation Specialist for Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS).

As Transportation Specialist, some of his responsibilities include coordinating transportation efforts for senior citizens to various activities.

“I’ve always been the type of person who wants to try and help somebody,” Cheriyampurathu. “Everyone in my family works in the medical field, and I wanted to do something similar.”

Relocating to the U.S. from India in 2011, Cheriyampurathu said his classes at GHC, along with engagement with his classmates, helped prepare him for his role at DHS.

For Emily Van Kleef, of Rome, the Class of 2020 Celebration was an opportunity for her and her family to not only celebrate her accomplishment of earning an Associate Degree in Psychology, but also her high school graduation, which was held last year in a drive-through format. As the 2020 valedictorian of Coosa High School, Van Kleef participated in the Dual Enrollment program, allowing her to graduate from high school while also earning a degree from GHC.

“We wanted to come out today to try and give her something back that she missed last year,” her father, Will Van Kleef, said.

Although the past year presented challenges, Van Kleef said she was glad to have had an early start by gaining her associate degree while still in high school.

“Last year was interesting, but the college made it very easy to transfer any of my on-site classes to online classes,” Van Kleef said.

Van Kleef is currently enrolled at Kennesaw State University and is pursuing a double major in Psychology and Criminal Justice.

Georgia Highlands College has announced students named to the spring 2021 President’s List and Dean’s List. To achieve President’s List status, students must earn a 4.0 grade point average and attain a minimum of nine semester hours of credit. To make Dean’s List students, must complete a minimum of nine semester hours and achieve at least a 3.5 average.

The following students were named to the President’s List (by state and county):

AL-LEE

Timothy Crawford, Auburn

GA-BARTOW

Elisabeth Archer, Cartersville

Kailey Baker, Euharlee

Daniel Belisle, Cartersville

Wyatt Borkowsky, Cartersville

Mark Brand, Emerson

Joshua Brannan, Rydal

Camden Bridges, Cartersville

Thailea Brinkmann, Cartersville

Carley Bruce, Emerson

Jessie Bunce, Adairsville

Madison Burney, Taylorsville

Krista Burt, Kingston

Jacqueline Caban, Cartersville

Stephanie Carrasco, Cartersville

Dana Christ, Cartersville

Anna Cox, Cartersville

Lane Crosley, Cartersville

Lauryn Davis, Cartersville

Rachel Davis, White

Morgan Deboard, Rydal

Dev Desai, Cartersville

Destiny Dial, Adairsville

Christian Disclafani, Kingston

Megan Dumas, Cartersville

DeNisha Durham, Cartersville

Alexander Edwards, Cartersville

Jeremy Eidson, Cartersville

Trecia Fannin, Euharlee

Dillan Frazier, Kingston

Nathalie Friederich, Cartersville

Christian Gardner, White

Hailey Gomisch, Cartersville

Belen Guevara, Cartersville

Maycie Gwin, Rydal

Stephen Harmon, Cartersville

Macey Harris, Cartersville

Carlie Hendrix, Taylorsville

Valera Holman, White

Ciara Horner, Cartersville

Kaitlyn Ingram, Cartersville

Natalie Jimenez, Emerson

Michael Johnson, Adairsville

Brianna Jones, Cartersville

Destinee Lanier, White

Lisa Lassiter, Cartersville

Cassidy Lee, Cartersville

Madelyn Makorow, Cartersville

Hanna Massicott, Cartersville

Tara Mathis, Cartersville

Angela Mejia Alzate, Cartersville

Joseph Mendoza, White

Shelina Munoz, Cartersville

Hima Patel, Cartersville

Samuel Peters, Cartersville

Guadalupe Pineda-Camacho, Cartersville

Haley Pittman, Adairsville

Briseyda Pulido, Acworth

Kiera Ray, Cartersville

Roger Redd, Adairsville

Esmeralda Rodriguez, Cartersville

Liliana Rodriguez, Adairsville

Alexis Rogers, Cartersville

Cassy Simmons, White

Chelsea Simons, White

Peter Squires, Cartersville

Luke Stooksbury, Cartersville

Zoey Tatum, Kingston

Christienne Tolero, White

Kevin Valencia Rendon, Cartersville

Olivia Venuti, Cartersville

Andrea Wesley, Adairsville

Garrett Wesley, Euharlee

Graysen Woodring, Cartersville

GA-CARROLL

Katelyn Parham, Villa Rica

Heather Stengel, Temple

Jennifer Walker, Temple

GA-CHATTOOGA

Destiny Cabe, Lyerly

Jessica Dover, Trion

Elijah Hudgins, Menlo

Griffin Jarrett, Summerville

Natalie Peterson, Trion

Tracie Rowlls, Summerville

Levi Thomas, Trion

Jacob Thompson, Summerville

GA-CHEROKEE

Ana Luiza Amorim, Acworth

Amanda Bishop, Ball Ground

Mackenzie Brody, Holly Springs

Leonard Carrese, Woodstock

Hugo Coronado, Canton

Amanda Curley, Woodstock

Brandon Dobbs, Canton

Courtney Fischer, Woodstock

Rafael Garcia Chirino, Canton

Brooke Johnson, Canton

Kyly Keiger, Canton

Kimberly Lee, Woodstock

Leyda Lozano-hernandez, Woodstock

Christian Mcelroy, Woodstock

Nicholas Miller, Woodstock

Mackinley Morris, Canton

Maegan Payne, Woodstock

Kiera Rollins, Acworth

Hayley Shaw, Acworth

Hannah Smith, Canton

Melinda St John, Woodstock

Ramsey Start, Woodstock

Sydney Stover, Canton

Logan White, Canton

GA-COBB

Oluwatomisin Adeogun, Mableton

Trevor Anderson, Powder Springs

Janae Archer, Marietta

Mary Arthen, Kennesaw

Abigail Barnette, Acworth

Renee Barron, Smyrna

Ashlie Bell, Acworth

Lauren Black, Acworth

Ayona Blackmon, Kennesaw

Daniel Brown, Acworth

Lorenzo Caseiro, Kennesaw

Christina Cebelenski, Acworth

Hannah Crimm, Marietta

Astrid Cuellar Benitez, Marietta

Arianna De Souza, Kennesaw

Ericka Dejesus, Powder Springs

Bianca Dingle, Marietta

Bryce Elkins, Kennesaw

Krystal Ellis, Acworth

Yanis Frausto, Marietta

Dean Garcia Basoria, Marietta

Jacari Gill, Mableton

Lidia Gomez, Powder Springs

Chelsea Gonzalez, Acworth

Patricia Goode, Marietta

Lexy Grizzle, Marietta

Charlotte Hall, Kennesaw

Megan Harris, Kennesaw

Samone Hawkins, Powder Springs

Emily Heckler, Powder Springs

Kelsey Heibeck, Kennesaw

Molly Herman, Marietta

Nicholas Hill, Marietta

Austin Holmes, Powder Springs

Jonathan Holmes, Powder Springs

Deja Jeanis, Marietta

Kayla Johnson, Marietta

Cheyenne Keisler, Kennesaw

Gemma Knauf, Marietta

Cameron Knudstrup, Kennesaw

Katherine Landt, Marietta

Benjamin Lemoine, Kennesaw

Margaret Lewis, Acworth

Samantta Lopez, Powder Springs

William Lucas, Acworth

Daniel Lyons, Kennesaw

David Marquez, Powder Springs

Gabrielle Mcduffie, Mableton

Jennifer Mendoza, Kennesaw

Lacey Miller, Kennesaw

Daniel Joseph Murphy, Marietta

Brooke Niemann, Powder Springs

Khaleb Petitfrere, Powder Springs

Samantha Priestly, Kennesaw

Andrea Raham, Marietta

Robert Reeves, Marietta

Jordan Richardson, Marietta

Christopher Rodriguez, Powder Springs

Jorge Romero, Marietta

Emma Senecal, Marietta

Michelle Serrano, Acworth

Robert Smedley, Powder Springs

Madeline Smith, Powder Springs

Michelle Strozier, Smyrna

Courtney Ulmer, Marietta

Molly Vick, Marietta

Kristina Von Nordeck, Mableton

Taitt Vosatka, Acworth

Arianna Walker, Marietta

Sarah Watjen, Acworth

Zachariah Watson, Acworth

Tessa Webb, Marietta

Jessica Wier, Powder Springs

Peighton Williamson, Kennesaw

Breana Wisniewski, Kennesaw

Stephanie Woodard, Mableton

Allison Zoutendijk, Marietta

GA-DEKALB

Alan Jordan, Atlanta

GA-DOUGLAS

Jalen Allen, Lithia Springs

Temitope Anthony, Douglasville

Destiney Arroyo, Villa Rica

Summer Bridges, Douglasville

Jasmine Brown, Douglasville

Paloma Ciranda-Perez, Winston

Colbey Cumbie, Winston

Tayah Dorough, Douglasville

Anna Ellis, Douglasville

Shachia Jones, Douglasville

Aubrey Jordan, Douglasville

Kursheeka Milburn, Douglasville

Lionel Nunn, Douglasville

Robbie Sykes, Douglasville

Nikera Williams, Lithia Springs

GA-FAYETTE

Kajarah Pettway, Fayetteville

GA-FLOYD

Ryan Acree, Rome

Joseph Aguilar, Rome

Courtney Baron, Rome

Julianne Bowling, Rome

Hayden Brookshire, Rome

Abel Cordero, Silver Creek

Fraidenes Deleon Gramajo, Rome

Dante Delira-Ramirez, Rome

Halee Dempsey, Cave Spring

Sebastian Diego Miguel, Rome

Ansley Edwards, Rome

Zachary Garrett, Rome

Sarah-rachel Glick, Rome

Heather Gooch, Rome

William Greene, Rome

Julissa Guzman-martinez, Rome

Kylie Hann, Lindale

Ryan Hurst, Lindale

Jeffery Jones, Armuchee

Sarah Jones, Rome

Nayeli Juarez-Cruz, Rome

Noora Khateeb Jabara, Rome

Steven Kight, Rome

Mikyung Kim, Rome

Matthew King, Silver Creek

Jasmine Limon, Rome

Shaotung Lin, Rome

Cesar Lopez, Rome

Reeha Malik, Rome

Jacob Martin, Rome

Giselle Martinez, Rome

Joseph Mcdaniel, Rome

Taylor Meeks, Rome

Yvonne Milligan, Rome

Trent Mull, Rome

John Murphy, Cave Spring

Faith Nicholson, Rome

Tammy Parson, Rome

Marika Pearson, Mount Berry

Michael Peters, Rome

Andrew Rainey, Rome

Shaira Ramirez, Rome

Javier Reyes, Rome

Magda Reyes, Rome

Princesa Reyes, Rome

Isaac Roberson, Kingston

Kenzi Rowell, Rome

Siomara Santacruz, Rome

Aidan Schmeckpeper, Rome

David Smith, Rome

Kelley Smith, Rome

Alonna Sparks, Rome

Lila Tanner, Rome

Dawson Tate, Cave Spring

Tristen Tolbert, Rome

Vasilena Foxy Vasileva, Rome

Alexis Waits, Rome

Macy Wallace, Silver Creek

Marah Warren, Aragon

Ailsa Webb, Rome

Alayna Weber, Rome

Ethan West, Rome

Michaelah Wheeler, Rome

Brandon Wilkerson, Lindale

Amber Winkelman, Cedartown

Dalynn Wooten, Rome

GA-FORSYTH

Elaina Benitez, Cumming

Dania Hamouda, Cumming

Belinda Land, Cumming

Kamerin Littlefield, Cumming

GA-FULTON

Colton Beaty, Atlanta

Danielle Bouloute, Atlanta

Natalie Marcus, Atlanta

Amaya Patterson, Atlanta

GA-GILMER

Alissa Hanson, Ellijay

GA-GORDON

Joria Brooks, Calhoun

Tabatha Collins, Calhoun

Tanya Farmer, Calhoun

Dalton Geary, Calhoun

Savannah Jones, Calhoun

Kaitlen Kiser, Calhoun

Maggie Macknight, Calhoun

Jacy Meadows, Fairmount

Zachary Rush, Calhoun

Esteysi Samayoa, Resaca

Kalyn Simmons, Calhoun

Dalton Wiles, Calhoun

GA-GWINNETT

Natalia Herrera, Buford

GA-HALL

Taylor Clark, Murrayville

Charles Lamb, Lawrenceville

Patrick Walker, Flowery Branch

GA-HARALSON

Katelyn Dutton, Buchanan

Natasha Holloway, Tallapoosa

Brandon Prince, Bremen

Georgia Steele, Felton

GA-HARRIS

Roger Carroll, Pine Mountain

GA-JACKSON

Mark Bandy, Jefferson

Hannah Barker, Jefferson

Angelique Mills, Hoschton

GA-JASPER

Lacey Rutledge, Monticello

GA-JONES

Madison Bennett, Gray

Jessica Lovick, Gray

GA-MERIWETHER

Courtney Aspinall, Greenville

GA-OCONEE

Jonathan Mcilvaine, Athens

GA-PAULDING

Tinuke Akinrolabu, Dallas

Antoinette Albright, Dallas

Jean Altidor, Acworth

Michael Barber, Dallas

Johanne Bayard, Hiram

Brittany Broome, Dallas

Maxxi Bryant, Dallas

Emily Carney, Dallas

Joshua Carter, Hiram

Gregory Chenoweth, Dallas

April Cole, Dallas

Chastidy Collins, Acworth

Orlane Devesin, Douglasville

William Dodd, Dallas

Joseph Felix, Dallas

Joseph Foster, Dallas

Heath Furr, Dallas

Kaylee Gardner, Dallas

Sierra Gehweiler, Dallas

Michael Gierschner, Dallas

Shelly Gilbert, Dallas

Brooke Haney, Dallas

Thomas Hawley, Dallas

Chloe Hibbard, Dallas

Taryn Hitchcock, Hiram

Kaylin Honea, Dallas

Andrew Hydrick, Powder Springs

Jason Johnson, Dallas

Makiah Jordan, Hiram

Ashley Kenyon, Dallas

Sarah Kramer, Dallas

Jocelyn Lopez Escamilla, Dallas

Colleen Mccullough, Dallas

Malia Moorer, Dallas

Gabrielle Nelson, Dallas

Eric Nguyen, Dallas

Phillip Nguyen, Dallas

Meagan Pace, Dallas

Megan Penar, Dallas

Lakeshia Pendleton, Dallas

Lindsey Reaid, Dallas

Sabrina Rudolph, Hiram

Meghan Shelton, Rockmart

Kayla Sherfesee, Rockmart

Kari Soeder, Hiram

Elizabeth Stout, Dallas

Faith Wert, Hiram

Victoria Wilder, Dallas

GA-PICKENS

Lisa Donohue, Jasper

Mackenzie Donohue, Jasper

Haleigh Mckenzie, Jasper

GA-PIKE

Michael Moody, Williamson

Breanna Normandy, Williamson

GA-POLK

Guillermo Aguilar, Cedartown

Lauren Allred, Rockmart

Trudi Baines Floyd, Cedartown

Mackenzie Bollen, Rockmart

Emily Bray, Rockmart

Maddison Bryant, Cedartown

Collin Coleman, Cedartown

Neely Collum, Rockmart

Elyjah French, Cedartown

Tayte Fuqua, Cedartown

Duncan George, Rockmart

Emma Hanson, Rockmart

William Howard, Cedartown

Madison Hulsey, Rockmart

Cameron Johnson, Rockmart

Austin Kiker, Rockmart

Kayla Legg, Rockmart

Ethan Lester, Cedartown

Samantha Lewis, Rockmart

Andrew Lumpkin, Rockmart

Kristi Medley, Rockmart

Jose Mendez, Cedartown

Kaley Parker, Cedartown

Kristen Phillips, Cedartown

Jolie Puckett, Cedartown

Barry Smith, Cedartown

Keyla Sontay Gonzalez, Cedartown

Mikayla Stockett, Cedartown

Gavin Tan, Rockmart

Joshua Thorpe, Rockmart

Gillian Vansciver, Rockmart

Dakota Wheeler, Rockmart

Timothy Williams, Aragon

GA-WALTON

Austin Little, Monroe

Rebecca Moran, Loganville

GA-WHITFIELD

Diana Landaverde, Dalton

Gwendolyn Mathis, Rocky Face

Paola Rangel, Dalton

IL-PEORIA

Montana Ledbetter, Hanna City

MI-KENT

Rachel Herriman, Alto

VA-JAMES CITY

Madalyn Morton, Williamsburg

The following students were named to the Dean’s List (by state and county):

GA-BARROW

Mazzystar Bragg, Winder

GA-BARTOW

Grace Adams, Cartersville

Ebony Arnold, Cartersville

Kayla Avila, Cartersville

Charlie Baker, Cartersville

Treg Beach, Cartersville

Julia Belew, Adairsville

Amy Betancourt, Cartersville

David Bigger, Euharlee

Hannah Boling, Cartersville

Crosley Brady, Cartersville

Johnny Brown, Cartersville

Sarah Brown, Cartersville

Gabrielle Brownlee, Cartersville

Jett Bunyard, Euharlee

Jackson Busch, Cartersville

Emma Cagle, Cartersville

Kyleigh Carney, Adairsville

Angie Carrasco Herrera, Cartersville

Bryan Casler-Tyrrell, Adairsville

Maria Crespo, Cartersville

Kaylynn Crump, Adairsville

Ayanna Davis, Adairsville

Joshua Drexler, Rydal

Benjamin Eckert, Adairsville

George Eckert, Cartersville

Christopher Fulton, Euharlee

Emily Garcia, Kingston

Erica Geise, Cartersville

Maci Gibson, Euharlee

Hayley Gildersleeve, Cartersville

Courtney Godfrey, Rome

Keily Gonzalez, Cartersville

Danny Gonzalez Vicente, Adairsville

Kimberly Gottschling, Adairsville

Jacob Graves, Cartersville

Aaron Green, Cartersville

Hollie Green, Cartersville

Gracie Gregory, Cartersville

Blake Hall, Cartersville

Ivey Hampton, Euharlee

Carressa Hann, Cartersville

Savannah Harris, White

Damonique Hathaway, Cartersville

Jimena Hernandez-Martinez, Cartersville

Jillian Humphreys, Cartersville

Annum Islam, Cartersville

Johntavious Johnson, Cartersville

Ethan Jones, Cartersville

Melissa Krause, Cartersville

Moises Ledesma, Euharlee

Chelsea Leon, Euharlee

Cherish Lowery, White

Raul Madrid, Cartersville

Anel Manjarrez, White

Anna Mathis, Rydal

Kylee McCauley, Rydal

Hannah Mckinney, Cartersville

Rocio Mcnair-Seigler, Cartersville

Lyrica Miron, Cartersville

Cassie Moore, Taylorsville

Jacqueline Morgan, Rydal

Victoria Najarro, Cartersville

William Overby, Paulding

Sarin Parker, Cartersville

Jenna Patterson, Cartersville

Alexandria Payne, White

Emely Paz, Acworth

William Perez, Acworth

Yathziri Pineda, Cartersville

Ethan Posey, Cartersville

Kimberlee Samuels, Cartersville

Rosa Sattar, Cartersville

Amber Schulenberg, Taylorsville

Hope Schultz, Kingston

Ashley Shanahan, Euharlee

Kalie Shepherd, Cartersville

Bryson Shiflett, Taylorsville

Grace Silva-Parra, Cartersville

Disney Smith, Adairsville

Victoria Stafford, Cartersville

Blair Stuart, Cartersville

Charlotte Sturgeon, White

Isabella Trouten, Cartersville

Julia Varner, Cartersville

Stephanie Vega, Cartersville

Kaitlin Walker, Cartersville

Nathan Warner, Euharlee

Blair Wilkey, Adairsville

Trinity Young, White

GA-CALHOUN

Shelby Chapman, Calhoun

GA-CARROLL

Jacqueline Brown, Villa Rica

Alexander Colas, Villa Rica

Christopher Gaiter, Villa Rica

Jillian Lander, Villa Rica

Sydney Lipstein, Temple

Breyuna Olayanju, Villa Rica

Xavier White, Temple

GA-CATOOSA

Emily Holcomb, Ringgold

GA-CHATTOOGA

Sandy Abernathy, Summerville

Lauren Allison, Summerville

Gretchen Clark, Summerville

Christian Dover, Summerville

Lauren Edwards, Summerville

Bailey Evans, Summerville

Magda Jimenez, Trion

Hampton Mcwhorter, Trion

Chloe Poulos, Summerville

Landen Roach, Trion

Jonathan Trammell, Summerville

Corey Wright, Summerville

GA-CHEROKEE

Amanda Banker, Canton

Shante Benbow, Woodstock

Nora Berry, Acworth

Hunter Cahill, Woodstock

Nancy Chiuri, Woodstock

Jennifer Clark, Acworth

Cadence Cox, Waleska

Brendan Creighton, Woodstock

Jessica Darnell, Ball Ground

Jacob Davis, White

Tristan Decker, Woodstock

Mariela Galindo Lopez, Woodstock

Jared Garvin, Canton

Giovanna Gonzalez, Acworth

Sydney Guerin, Woodstock

Briana Haedo Rosario, Woodstock

Lisa Hallmark, Canton

Scarlet Hayes, Canton

Jessica Hill, Holly Springs

Sharon Hostler, Woodstock

Ivy Johnson, Woodstock

Kevin Juarez, Canton

Samantha Martinez, Woodstock

Lauren McCormick, Woodstock

Kensley Morgan, Canton

Morgan Morrison, Woodstock

Kristin Nemechek, Acworth

Benjamin Olson, Acworth

Estefania Quintino Corona, Canton

Bianca Ramirez, Canton

Malia Ray, Canton

Mariah Redmond, Woodstock

Noah Rogers, Acworth

Emily Shyer, Canton

Emily Sowell, Canton

Katlyn Walters, Woodstock

Rebecca Weeks, Canton

Michael Zboinski, Acworth

GA-CLAYTON

Deqon Mitchell, Riverdale

GA-COBB

Maricruz Aguilar, Smyrna

Diana Alonso, Smyrna

Lesli Alvarez, Marietta

Angela Amador, Acworth

Maria Andrade, Marietta

Drew Barnes, Marietta

Catherine Berry, Acworth

Sydnee Blackwell, Marietta

Caroline Blum, Kennesaw

Kevin Bolick, Acworth

Haley Bouche, Mableton

Michael Bowers, Marietta

Mahagoni Bracey, Powder Springs

Jean Bramlett, Acworth

Joshua Byrd, Acworth

Shelia Caldwell-Pointer, Marietta

Dave Carr, Smyrna

Jasmine Castillo, Smyrna

Nicolas Castonguay, Acworth

Joshua Cherenfant, Powder Springs

Kathryn Childress, Marietta

John Chorn, Marietta

Michael Cohen, Acworth

Stephanie Cole, Marietta

Avery Collins, Marietta

Medjo Coulibaly, Powder Springs

Adriana Duran, Marietta

Azra Dzonlic, Kennesaw

Makayla Elam, Marietta

Greyson Elkins, Acworth

Chelsea Exume, Powder Springs

Rahma Fakhir, Kennesaw

Raymond Fleming, Marietta

Kayley Foxworth, Acworth

Stephanie Galicia, Mableton

Angelica Garcia, Powder Springs

Savannah Gassett, Powder Springs

Jessica Geiger, Acworth

Crishawn Gibbs, Kennesaw

Bethany Girard, Marietta

Isabella Glass, Marietta

Blair Grant, Marietta

Mackenzie Grant, Powder Springs

Ashley Griffin, Marietta

Kaylan Hopson, Marietta

Janely Huerta, Powder Spring

Angela Hyatt, Acworth

Armando Irizarry-Vazquez, Marietta

Manoucheca Jean, Powder Springs

Kameron Jett, Smyrna

Eric Johnson, Marietta

Kasey Johnson, Acworth

Garrett Justice, Acworth

Charity Kariuki, Powder Springs

Lacey Knight, Marietta

Maria Koutsoukalis, Marietta

Hannah Lang, Powder Springs

Michael Lyons, Kennesaw

Hisham Maarouf, Kennesaw

Ansley Magee, Acworth

Robert Maguire, Acworth

Trevor Margolin, Powder Springs

William Maryland, Acworth

Samuel McGrath, Kennesaw

Ingrid Menendez, Mableton

Madelyn Milk, Marietta

Anna Miller, Powder Springs

Jose Miranda, Powder Springs

Karina Morales, Kennesaw

Carrie Mortensen, Marietta

Nadiya Musabhay, Marietta

Tim Nguyen, Acworth

Skyler Nicholson, Acworth

Elizabeth Orrell, Marietta

Benjamin Pallotti, Powder Springs

Jane Parsons, Acworth

Feny Patel, Smyrna

Clarke Potts, Marietta

Alexis Price, Kennesaw

Gabriella Primiano, Marietta

Beatrice Quintanilla, Acworth

Giselle Reyes, Austell

Megan Reynolds, Woodstock

Karli Rivera, Marietta

Ella Rueffer, Acworth

River Russell, Powder Springs

Alexandra Schubert, Atlanta

Emily Sharpe, Acworth

Jacquelin Silvano, Marietta

Ashley Smith, Kennesaw

Lauren Smith, Smyrna

Trenton Stafford, Marietta

Erica Staton, Austell

Chrystal Sylvain, Powder Springs

Conner Todaro, Powder Springs

Manuela Toxtle, Marietta

Tami-ann Treasure, Acworth

Karleigh Trejo, Acworth

Javon Tucker, Acworth

Megan Turner, Acworth

Anne Uwalaka, Powder Springs

Jason Walker, Powder Springs

Blake Wilson, Marietta

Kelsey Zehnder, Acworth

GA-DAWSON

Allison Daffron, Dawsonville

Samantha Lawson, Dawsonville

Maggie Schandera, Gainesville

GA-DEKALB

Laura Walker, Stone Mountain

GA-DOUGLAS

Khaled Abdul Rahman, Douglasville

Alexis Amadi, Douglasville

Allison Anderson, Douglasville

James Armstrong, Douglasville

Justin Brown, Douglasville

Rodonna Brown, Douglasville

Joseph Bruce, Douglasville

Tim Castellanos, Douglasville

Chase Coker, Douglasville

Bailey Donehoo, Douglasville

Fallon Fussell, Douglasville

Rhylee Gallups, Douglasville

Deddeh Gayflor, Douglasville

Chelsey Ginther, Douglasville

Nattalie Gordon, Fayetteville

Stella Griffin, Douglasville

Kevin Guerra, Douglasville

Zachary Hill, Douglasville

Shaniya Hinds, Douglasville

Jessica Johnson, Lithia Springs

Jessica Knight, Douglasville

Ladejai Little, Douglasville

Jazmin Melchor-soto, Douglasville

Shaniqua Meyer, Douglasville

Christina Nelson, Douglasville

Leslie Norato, Douglasville

Melissa Ortiz-Torres, Villa Rica

Haley Overton, Lithia Springs

Titilola Popoola, Douglasville

Trevor Shadix, Douglasville

Ela Valenzuela, Douglasville

Jessica Ventura, Douglasville

Aryanna Wilson, Douglasville

Takiaya Wilson, Lithia Springs

Claire Wright, Douglasville

GA-FANNIN

Nicole Highley, Morganton

GA-FAYETTE

Chase Townsend, Fayetteville

GA-FLOYD

Olivia Adams, Rome

Yajaira Aguilar, Rome

Deborah Alvarado, Rome

Terri Lynn Autry, Lindale

Emma Bartlett, Rome

Kevin Boatfield, Rome

Jacob Brown, Rome

Kaylen Brown, Rome

Christopher Bryant, Rome

Esmeralda Buitrago Ariza, Rome

Gisselle Camacho, Rome

Rosmery Campos Sanchez, Rome

Christina Chapman, Rome

Jennifer Chavez, Rome

Alysha Cooper, Rome

Beverly Cranford, Rome

Salomon Diego-Miguel, Rome

Brandon Dyer, Rome

Dawson Edwards, Rome

Sydnie Edwards, Rome

Caleb Erickson, Rome

Olivia Fortner, Rome

Ava Freeman, Rome

Keagan Gallagher, Kingston

Edward Gallanthen, Silver Creek

Kendall Gaylor, Rome

Nessa Gilmore, Rome

Leslie Giron-Cisneros, Rome

Maria Gonzalez Villeda, Rome

Ethan Hester, Rome

Cailin Hughes, Lindale

Allison Jackson, Rome

Kelsey Jennings, Rome

Brianna Jones, Rome

Maha Khatib, Rome

Donovan Kinsella, Rome

Harrison Kirby, Rome

Jason Kotowski, Rome

Christian Laguna, Rome

Chiani Laliveres, Rome

Abigail Lambert, Rome

Quentin Leek, Rome

Makenzee Liggons, Silver Creek

Steven Lloyd, Rome

Fabian Lopez, Rome

Jennifer Lopez, Rome

Olga Lorenzo Pablo, Rome

Jenna Lua, Rome

Gavin Lucas, Rome

Abigail Luitwieler, Rome

Malleylin Maldonado, Rome

Abby Manis, Rome

Joshua Mata, Lindale

Kayla Mathis, Rome

Madilyn McWhorter, Rome

Kimber Miller, Silver Creek

Jessica Noles, Rome

Timothy Painter, Rome

Aneri Patel, Rome

Heema Patel, Rome

Stephen Paul, Lindale

Abdias Perez, Rome

Alexis Pullen, Rome

Daroly Ramirez-Calderon, Rome

Kayla Ray, Rome

Corrie Rogers, Rome

Li Anna Rogers, Rome

Brittany Sheetz, Rome

Alexandra Shishkina, Rome

Reannah Smith, Rome

Sydney Tanner, Silver Creek

Jenny Tran, Rome

Jack Tunnell, Rome

Stephanie Valencia, Rome

Hayden Waddell, Rome

Micah Wade, Rome

Catherine Welsh, Rome

Madison Whatley, Cave Spring

Charity Wofford, Rome

Kinsey Wright, Silver Creek

Christy Yoder, Cave Spring

Jordan Zachery, Cave Spring

GA-FORSYTH

Stormy Ortiz, Cumming

GA-FULTON

Devin Holmes, Atlanta

Will Jones, Atlanta

Mitchell Nnoka, Atlanta

GA-GILMER

Faith Schmidt, Ellijay

GA-GORDON

Bo Buis, Calhoun

Emma Burger, Calhoun

Christina Caulder, Calhoun

Callie Dobson, Calhoun

Samantha Hillegeist, Calhoun

Destiny Johnson, Calhoun

Stone Nicholson, Plainville

Maria Palmerin Palmerin, Calhoun

Anastasia Phalen, Ranger

Emily Salazar, Plainville

Keifer Stroup, Adairsville

Brittani Weber, Calhoun

GA-GWINNETT

Emily Blaze, Lawrenceville

Hailey Cronic, Lawrenceville

Chelsea Lollar, Lawrenceville

Caroline Musco, Suwanee

Julia Portier, Buford

Trace Twardoski, Lawrenceville

GA-HALL

Caleb Carter, Gainesville

Candido Delgado, Gainesville

Natalie Jones, Oakwood

Carter Lott, Buford

Celina Munoz, Gainesville

GA-HARALSON

Tommie Brownlow, Tallapoosa

GA-HENRY

Jack Witmer, Griffin

GA-JACKSON

Austin Tienda, Braselton

GA-JASPER

Madaline Dobbs, Newborn

GA-PAULDING

Dormecia Allen, Hiram

Jeremiah Anderson, Dallas

Jessica Arwood, Hiram

Jeremiah Auguste, Dallas

Nathaniel Baker, Hiram

Rebecca Ball, Dallas

Madison Baxter, Hiram

Alyson Beavers, Dallas

Grace Blain, Dallas

Deja Brewster, Dallas

Emma Bythewood, Dallas

Christen Calhoun, Dallas

Timothy Carlsen, Dallas

Isaiah Carson, Dallas

Jacob Cook, Dallas

Grant Copeland, Hiram

Nicole Corrao, Acworth

Ivy Couch, Dallas

Tyra Crowder-Pelton, Dallas

Madelyn Dennard, Acworth

Cole Dunn, Dallas

Phoenix Dunn, Powder Springs

Katherine Erhardt, Hiram

Christopher Feild, Dallas

Nile Finch, Dallas

Christopher Fisher, Dallas

Taylor Fox, Dallas

Viviana Gomez, Dallas

Carolina Gonzalez, Hiram

Oscar Gutierrez, Dallas

Anna Hargrove, Dallas

Sarah Hart, Hiram

Daisy Hernandez, Rockmart

Peyton Hutchins, Hiram

Alyssa Kynard, Dallas

Jonathan Lovelace, Dallas

Joshua Madrigal, Dallas

Sherell Mahadeo, Rockmart

Magdaline Marks, Dallas

Alexander Marshall, Acworth

Kayla Mcdonald, Dallas

Chelsea Mckoy, Powder Springs

Claudia Miles, Villa Rica

Taylor Miller, Dallas

Breanna Moore, Dallas

Jackson Morris, Dallas

Lisa Paris, Temple

Jordan Parker, Dallas

Trenton Parker, Hiram

Sheena Patel, Powder Springs

Sean Penney, Dallas

Matthew Perry, Dallas

Rachel Pope, Dallas

Kymberly Postell, Acworth

Martha Reid, Dallas

Leandro Ruiz, Dallas

Phuranju Sherpa, Dallas

Starlee Simmons, Dallas

Austin Slate, Villa Rica

Anna Spruck, Dallas

Viktor Spyrydonov, Powder Springs

Amber Stevens, Dallas

John Tapp, Hiram

Donna Tempelman, Dallas

Hannah Toler, Hiram

Maeghan Trader, Dallas

Kaytlyn Trahan, Hiram

Vy Tran, Dallas

Blake Turner, Dallas

Mckenzie Wakefield, Dallas

Alonzo Wallace, Dallas

Eldridge Waller, Acworth

Hope Weiss, Dallas

Tod Wells, Hiram

Robert Wilcox, Dallas

Hannah Wilczynski, Acworth

Audra Williams, Dallas

Bright Williams, Hiram

Amber Winters, Dallas

Jeromy Zigan, Dallas

Justin Zito, Dallas

Zachary Zunt, Dallas

GA-PICKENS

Sharon Davis, Talking Rock

Leslie Holbert, Jasper

David Jarvis, Jasper

GA-POLK

Juana Aguilar, Cedartown

Peyton Brock, Rockmart

Aislyn Campbell, Rockmart

Latoya Davis, Cedartown

Annslie Galliher, Rockmart

Gisselle Guzman, Cedartown

Amanda Harris, Rockmart

Rachel Helmes, Cedartown

Arian Jolly, Cedartown

Joseph Jordan, Rockmart

Rylie Mason, Rockmart

Dakota Mcdowell, Rockmart

Stephen Mears, Aragon

Jordan Mobbs, Cedartown

Lesley Munoz-Flores, Cedartown

Rebeka Neal, Cedartown

Evan Nettles, Rockmart

Rafael Nunez, Cedartown

Daniel Ortiz, Cedartown

Karlee Quick, Rockmart

Daisy Ramirez, Cedartown

Allison Reynolds, Cedartown

Sara Robinson, Rockmart

Tonya Rodgers, Cedartown

Karen Rogers, Rockmart

Arturo Segura, Cedartown

Nathanael Seymour, Rockmart

Aislyn Smith, Cedartown

Anna Smith, Rockmart

Taylor Tucker, Aragon

Patricia Weatherwax, Rockmart

GA-TROUP

Tori White, Lagrange

GA-WHITFIELD

Cassandra Avila, Dalton

Adrian Fraire, Tunnel Hill

Billie Jones, Dalton

Andrea Plaza, Dalton

Elizabeth Reyes, Dalton

Erin Silvers, Dalton

GA-WILCOX

Mary-Margaret Graham, Pitts

KS-SEDGWICK

Isabel Marcotte, Wichita

KS-SHAWNEE

Madison Mosteller, Topeka

PA-ALLEGHENY

Kyree Hairston-Mitchell, Pittsburgh

Cassidy Hite, of White, has always had a business idea, and she has always wanted to be her own boss: “My concept for my business is to take school buses, convert them into RVs, and rent them out for a luxury vacation you can take anywhere.”

Hite chose the new entrepreneurship pathway at Georgia Highlands College to help bring her vision to life. In this pathway, students take a hands-on approach to starting a business. By engaging in outside-the-box, experiential learning, students gain the knowledge necessary to start, grow, and maintain a business.

The pathway is offered through the School of Business and Professional Studies. Students who complete the pathway will graduate in as little as two years and will have constructed a comprehensive business plan.

Hite, who is working on a plan around her school bus conversion idea, stated the faculty are top-notch and have been paramount to her success in the program, giving her the confidence to move forward with her business idea.

Michelle Douglas, of Rome, saw the GHC program as a way to grow her existing business.

“I already have my own home cleaning business, but I wasn’t really sure what to do to take it further,” Douglas said. “When I heard about the entrepreneurship pathway at GHC, I knew it was meant for me to enroll in the program.”

She described a “light bulb” moment occurred during a class discussion.

“I was talking about my cleaning business and ideas were being thrown around about how I could incorporate my own cleaning products,” Douglas said. “So, now I can provide cleaning services but also sell my clients my products which is another source of income.”

Douglas said not only does the pathway help her to learn strategies and generate new ideas for expanding her business, but it has helped her gain a new perspective as a business owner.

“This whole experience has been an amazing journey. I feel empowered,” Douglas said. “GHC has taken me to a whole new level… There’s always more to learn and room to grow when it comes to your career.”

Assistant Professor of Business Administration Shanika Wright-Turner explained the program goes beyond the classroom with multiple real-world learning opportunities, including consultation with highly successful business leaders.

On one occasion, students met with Raychel Jones, entrepreneur and creator of “I Beat Daily” The Official Producer Battle, and Co-founder of PenGame ATL, who attended the class and gave each student feedback on their ideas.

“Students were thrilled to have a successful entrepreneur work with them individually,” Wright-Turner said. “In the near future, we are looking to add a mentorship program that matches each student enrolled in the entrepreneurship pathway with a leader/entrepreneur in their area of interest. We are very excited to see the program up and running and look forward to welcoming more students in the fall.”

Visit go.highlands.edu to learn more about how to apply to the program this fall.

Applying to Georgia Highlands College (GHC) for the upcoming fall semester just got a little easier thanks to upcoming application events with extended hours.

GHC will be holding special application events on the Floyd campus in Rome on June 22; simultaneously across the Marietta, Paulding, and Douglasville sites on June 23; and a final event set on the Cartersville site on June 24.

On the day of each event, the location holding the event will stay open until 7:30PM giving future students the chance to take part in dropping off documents, getting their financial aid and application questions answered, campus tours, and more.

Visitors will have the opportunity to speak with GHC’s admissions team about the college, two-year and four-year programs, the various options for taking classes (including online, in person, and more), and financial aid opportunities, such as federal grants and institutional scholarships or payment plans.

Visit go.highlands.edu if you would like to learn more about the event before stopping by.

Concepts like the application and integration of different motivating and reflective learning strategies, the creation of asynchronous interactive modules for the library, and metacognition and advanced online engagement strategies for students may, at first, seem difficult to understand – but, at the end of the day, faculty examining courses at Georgia Highlands College (GHC) have a singular goal in mind: make the student experience in GHC courses better.

The process for enhancing and redesigning courses to meet this goal has been a long and well-researched endeavor. Instructors participating in GHC’s Faculty Learning Committee (FLC) started looking for ways to increase student motivation and facilitate development of a “growth mindset.”

Last month, two dozen faculty presented their ideas to administration and peers during the college’s first “Best Practices in Teaching Symposium.”

Running the gamut of course offerings, presenters shared unique ideas to make courses more productive, thought provoking and effective for students and faculty alike.

“[The faculty] at GHC have been working on revising one or more of their courses based on what they have learned about motivation, mindset and/or metacognition during the Faculty Learning Committee,” School of Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) Division Chair Jayme Wheeler said. “The FLC has included reading ‘Teaching Students How to Learn’ by Dr. Saundra McGuire and two live presentations by Dr. McGuire.”

Soon after, FLC participants conducted course audits on the course they wished to redesign. They collected the course and/or module learning objectives, examined the assessments for alignment, authenticity and meaningfulness, as well as determined if their learning activities were aligned, engaging and motivating. Then, they used those results to help establish the direction of their course redesign.

“Some faculty have begun to make changes in their course(s) this semester,” Wheeler said. “For instance, one instructor implemented changes learned during the FLC in her second eight-week course that began in March. Many of the participants are planning for change that will occur in courses beginning either in the summer or fall semesters.”

Josie Baudier, who serves as director for the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, said the event was beneficial because participants learned how their colleagues were implementing these strategies into their courses.

“The hope is that our faculty will be invigorated to learn more about these strategies, and others, and will be able to reflect on how these strategies can be incorporated into their classes,” Baudier said.

Students in Georgia Highlands College’s Bachelor of Business Administration in Logistics and Supply Chain Management program recently participated in a real-world scenario: determining how to relocate a decommissioned Lockheed JetStar aircraft.

The Cohort 4 Principles of Logistics class was given the project to apply logistical concepts and come up with a plan to move the plane from Cobb International Airport to the Marietta Aviation History and Technology Center (AHTC).

“This project has been in the works for the AHTC for quite some time and they were looking for some out-of-the box thinking to solve their unique problem,” Assistant Professor of Logistics and Supply Chain Management Lucinda Montgomery said.

Produced in the 1960s and 1970s, and built locally in Marietta, the JetStar was one of the first, and largest, dedicated business jets to enter service and was the only business jet built by the company known as Lockheed at that time. In 2019, the AHTC received the aircraft from an anonymous donor. Because of the time of year of the donation, and the donor’s stipulation that the aircraft must be decommissioned upon landing, the inability to fly the aircraft resulted in the jet being housed at Cobb County International Airport.

In April, teams from the Cohort 4 class presented their findings to AHTC Director Brad Hawkins and to plane expert and AHTC Subject Matter Expert Scott Major. Both Hawkins and Major said partnering with GHC for this project helps the museum to continue its mission of being a community resource.

“Their presentation covered a wide range of issues with teams dedicated to transportation, scheduling, equipment, safety, permitting, finances and communications; it is making us reconsider some of our plans and approach the move with a broader sense of what might be possible,” Major said.

He added they were pleased with the students’ results and plans to further explore those results with their logistics partners. Hawkins agreed.

“The project allowed us to use our assets, and our ongoing work with this aircraft, to help area students advance their educational objectives,” Hawkins said. “While this format is outside of our normal avenues of public engagement, the project has immense value as a real-world learning opportunity for students.”

Some ideas for relocation included attaching the JetStar to an 18-wheeler or using a Mi26 helicopter to relocate the aircraft; however, these ideas did not take off upon further research.

“We decided the best route would be to taxi the aircraft with a tug that they use at the airports for maneuvering airplanes to their respected resting area,” said GHC student Greg Chenoweth, who resides in Dallas and attends classes on the Cartersville site.

GHC student Eric Johnson, who resides in Marietta and attends classes on the Cartersville site, said he was surprised at the amount of work that goes along with overseeing and addressing the ongoing difficulty of large-scale logistic projects.

Hawkins stated the AHTC is now several steps closer to relocating the aircraft to its final location.

After nearly 30 years at Georgia Highlands College (GHC), David Mathis announced plans to retire on August 31 as the director of athletics. GHC has appointed Brandan Harrell to serve as the new director of athletics starting September.

Mathis, who helped lead GHC’s athletics program from its inception, is a very well-known member of GHC and a leader in the community, as shown by his record number of awards and recognitions, including the Vivian Benton Staff Person of the Year in 2002; Floyd County School’s Business Partner of the Year in 2005; the 2014 Georgia Highlands College President’s Meritorious Service Award; the 2017 Heart of the Community Award; and in 2019, he was inducted into the Rome/Floyd County Sports Hall of Fame.

Additionally, Mathis served as project administrator for the National Youth Sports Program at GHC serving 300 kids each summer for 15 years. As that program concluded, he became co-director for the Foundation Camp that offers academic and athletic opportunities for young boys each summer at no charge.

In his role as athletic director, Mathis also served as Kinesiology and Wellness Programs manager and was the tournament director for the Holiday Festival High School Basketball Tournament that is held annually on then Floyd campus with the money being raised from those tournaments directly funding nontraditional student scholarships for the GHC Foundation.

Harrell will continue to lead GHC’s championship athletic program with teams in basketball (men’s and women’s), baseball and softball. He currently serves as the assistant director of athletics and as the head coach for the women’s basketball team. The team, under his leadership, has a long record of success, including most recently advancing to the “sweet sixteen” of the NJCAA tournament. Harrell was additionally recognized as “Coach of the Year for Women’s Division I Basketball” by the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association this year.

Harrell is also a national leader with the WBCA and was instrumental in establishing the NJCAA section at the women’s basketball hall of fame and museum.

For more information about athletics at GHC, please visit: ghcchargers.com